The misadventures of a boy who watched too much TV and ate too much junk food

Reviews

Early Praise for Bud the Spud

“Bud the Spud is a really beautiful book—I just love it, and so do my friends.”—Legendary pop artist Peter Max

“Speaking not just as a guitarist and former Congressman, but as a professional ski instructor, avid tennis player and sailor, I thank Adam Byrn Tritt for writing, and Java John for illustrating Bud the Spud. Adam, John and Bud encourage kids to get off the couch and move!”—John Hall, two-term congressman for NY’s 19th district; former president of the Saugerties (NY) Board of Education; singer/songwriter for the band Orleans

“Bud the Spud is, admittedly, a very unique book. The cover is one that most parents will wince at, but parents are not the target audience. Pre-teens, who might very well be on the same path as Bud, are the ones who need to read this book and no doubt, they (particularly boys) will love the rather grisly cover and interior drawings….There is a note from the author to kids on the front jacket flap, and one to parents on the back jacket flap noting that kids find such gruesome things ‘horrifically hilarious.’ This is the same tactic that has made so many ‘gross out’ books popular with youngsters. Hopefully, those kids who read this book will come away with an understanding of the very serious message it sends—get off the couch, turn off the TV and go outside and play! Quill says: DON’T judge this book by its cover—while a bit, er, unusual, it really does send a very important message.”—Feathered Quill Book Reviews

“Mrs. Piggle Wiggle would be proud! Young Bud, a couch potato if there ever was one, literally fulfills his destiny after eating binges in front of the tube and no exercise … and lives to regret it. A very macabre tale with three alternate endings providing various degrees of disgust. Kids will love the gruesome, psychedelically rendered details—and likely learn an important lesson. Funny and supremely gross. Ages four and up.”—ForeWord Book Review, Fall, 2012-

“I’ve been a middle school and special education teacher for nearly twenty years, and this book honestly made me laugh out loud. Please don’t be afraid that the content is too ‘dark’ for young kids. I promise you they’ll find it as hysterical as I do, and the message packs a punch. I can’t wait to read it to my students!”—Joyce Hatch, sixth grade teacher in Hillsborough, North Carolina

“As a pediatrician for forty years, I have seen my share of couch potatoes increase alarmingly. This funny book brings home a great message in a lighthearted way. Let’s hope the point is received and effective for homes with potatoes that they cannot make into salad.”—Loraine Stern, MD, FAAP, co-editor of AAP’s Nutrition: What Every Parent Needs to Know

“Java John creatively illustrates this fantastic story in a manner both colorful and creepy. The design of Bud as a Spud is interesting enough on its own to push the moral of this cautionary tale.”—Len DiSalvo, illustrator for the award-winning Lima Bear Stories series, computer game animator, and art illustration and animation teacher in Tucson, Arizona

“As parables go, I can’t recall encountering one quite so gruesome. Which of course means my children loved it! Yet the power of a parable isn’t measured by its appeal, but rather by its effect. A delighted grimace followed by ‘Later, Mom, we’re going out to play!’ instead of ‘Hey, it’s my turn on the PS3!’ speaks volumes about Bud the Spud’s ability to teach as well as entertain.”—The Rev. Ann Fuller, PhD, community minister

“Kids will love this book! With a very pointed message that Bud’s story provides, conversations will ensue about the dangerous results of becoming a couch potato, be it from over consumption of television or computerized games.”—Kathy Teitelman, National Board Certified Teacher and a third grade teacher for twenty-five years in Ohio

In Memoriam

While this book was being produced, both the author and the illustrator lost their wives to cancer. Ten percent of the sales price of each copy of Bud the Spud will be donated to fight cancer in memory of Lee Garnick Tritt and Jennifer “Java Jenn” Goldacker.

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